A plea has been issued for members of the Hyde Park community to volunteer their skills for the annual Unity Day celebrations.

This year will be the 23rd year of the annual summer event which aims to bring thousands of local people together and promote the best of the area.

A public meeting has been organised for February 21 to decide on who will join this year’s management committee and for anyone willing to offer up their time and skills to find out more.

Unity Day was borne out of the Hyde Park riots which hit the neighbourhood in 1995, leaving a pub gutted by fire and leading to many national news headlines.

Residents, determined to fight back and celebrate the area’s good qualities, organised Unity Day every year since, and it has grown into a major event attracting thousands to the park for a day of live music, activities and family fun.

Amit Roy, who has been involved since it began, said: “If you work in this area and you have something to show off or promote, Unity Day is a great platform.”

He added: “What do you enjoy doing? Be it playing football, having a cup of tea, playing bingo - basically we want to bring people together to show that there is one community with many strings to it.”

The meeting takes place on Wednesday February 21 at Wrangthorn Church Hall, on Hyde Park Corner. For more information visit http://www.unityday.org.uk or email unityday@live.co.uk.